USL Feature
Friday, August 26, 2011
By NICHOLAS MURRAY
It’s been a pretty remarkable year for Veronica Boquete.
Just over a year ago, the Spanish international was lifting the MVP award at the W-League Championship Game after leading the Buffalo Flash to a 3-1 victory against the Vancouver Whitecaps Women. Now, as a member of Women’s Professional Soccer’s Philadelphia Independence, she’s been honored as the WPS MVP and is preparing for the league’s championship game this Saturday afternoon.
Understandably, when Boquete signed with Philadelphia in June after completing the Spanish league season with Espanyol, she wasn’t expecting things to have moved so quickly.
“When I arrived here I was only hoping to play and help my team,” Boquete said of her MVP award this week. “I didn’t expect this honor, but I’m very happy for this.”
After her strong season for Buffalo last summer, Boquete was signed by Chicago Red Stars in WPS and soon made her mark, earning Player of the Week honors before the season was out. She’s had a similar impact for the Independence, scoring five goals and adding four assists in 11 games to help Philadelphia earn the runner-up berth in the league standings. Along with Natasha Kai and Amy Rodriguez, she then helped the side defeat magicJack FC last Saturday in the WPS Super Semifinal at PPL Park, a victory that surprised some with the way the Abby Wambach-led side had been playing of late.
Talking to Boquete, though, you understand that she doesn’t view herself as a crucial piece of the puzzle, simply someone who will do whatever she can to help the team succeed. With the Independence facing a star-studded Western New York Flash side in the final, with Brazil’s Marta, Canada’s Christine Sinclair and the United States’ Alex Morgan leading the way, Boquete is strong in her belief that it will be the better team that will win the title, not the side with the better individuals.
“I think all the people think that the Western New York Flash is the best team,” Boquete said. “They have fantastic players, Marta, Sinclair, Morgan, [Caroline] Seger are all great to win individual games, but it’s going to take the best team to win a championship.”
Her teammates, though, are quick to praise the energy that Boquete brings to the side.
“She definitely brings a spark to our team,” defender Nikki Krzysik told PhillySoccerNews.com recently. “She is such an amazing player. The way that she moves in and around defenders and midfielders, it’s incredible.”
Of course, with the Flash - who made the move to WPS after a pair of successful seasons in the USL W-League - being the Independence’s opponent, there is an added motivation for Boquete to raise her game.
“All finals are special, but this final is more special because for me because the Flash is my old team,” Boquete said. “I know the owner, the coach and the players, but now I’m wearing the [Independence’s] jersey, playing for Philly; I really want to win this final.”
After that, it may be a return to Europe for another challenge. After the Women’s World Cup in Germany this summer elevated the profile of women’s soccer, there are now more options for players who, like Boquete, want to keep playing as much as they can.
“The WPS is only six months a year, and I want to play the whole year,” Boquete said. “Maybe I’ll go back to Spain, or go and play in another country in Europe and then come back here for the next season. In Spain the soccer is not professional, but now I think I could go and play in another country; playing in the Champions League for a professional team would be best for me before coming back for the next season, I think I will be a better player.”
Where her path leads next will be determined soon, but it’s likely wherever Boquete ends up, her success will continue.